Adopted

Chapter 5: Visitor

Benton's perspective:

I knocked on the door.

"Oh, hey! What's up?"

"Magnus wanted to have you over. Is it alright? Do you have time?"

"Sure, but is it okay if I bring my boyfriend?"

"Hmm... sure, I guess."

"Great! Okay, I'll be over in a bit. Thanks."

She arrived.

"Hey, Magnus."

Magnus's perspective:

"Hi, Mama."

"This is my boyfriend."

"Hey, Magnus... my name is Aaron."

"Hi, Aaron."

Aaron gives off some pretty creepy vibes. I'm a little uncomfortable.

"Hey. So, like... what was Sergio li-"

He was cut off by my mom- er- I don't know... is she my mom? I mean... I was adopted, but... then does that mean she's not my mother?

Huh.

Anyway, Aaron was cut off by my mom(?) backhanding him lightly in the face.

"We're not gonna talk to Magnus about Sergio. Besides, I knew him, possibly even more than Magnus, so any questions you have about Sergio should be reserved for me, not Magnus."

"Okay... well... I'm just... gonna go to my office, and, uh... work," Benton said.

Or... I guess I should start calling him my dad.

It feels weird to call someone else my dad.

But... my old dad is in prison... so... I guess he's not my dad anymore.

I don't know, parents can get complicated when you're like me.

"Okay, that's cool, we'll hang out," Aaron said.

Once again, he makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I know better than to say that to his face. If my gut feeling is right, saying that would irritate him and make him aggressive. And if it's wrong, it'll hurt his feelings. And I don't want either of those.

"Umm... S-Sergio was... he was... I... I actually... I can't remember... it's been forever," I said, trying to answer but ultimately failing. I could only vaguely remember his face. How can I remember anything he did? Or anything about his personality?

"Oh, Magnus, you don't have to try to remember him," My mother said.

"... Okay..."

Sergio... Sergio Black.

I barely even remember the name.

I'm told experiencing trauma can cause you to forget things. Your brain locks it away, in hopes that you don't have to remember it and relive it.

I always thought it was cool to learn about. But experiencing it, I didn't ever think about it. I didn't know it was what I was experiencing myself. It's crazy.

It's amazing how complex our minds are that it has the ability to split itself into multiple entities, and assign certain memories to those certain entities. How complex our minds are that it has the ability to lock things away and never think about it again.

"Huh. Well... okay. So... anyway, didn't you have a younger sibling? Where are they?"

"Y-yeah... she's... well... she got adopted by some other family, and... they separated us. They didn't want me."

"They should make it illegal to separate siblings through adoption," Aaron said.

"Personally, I agree... but... I think the reason it's not is because it makes it even harder for kids to get adopted. New parents don't want multiple children at once. It's too much work. Especially when the siblings have a rivalry, I've heard, but that's bullshit. When you're homeless as a child, you're all your younger sibling has. You're all your older sibling has. A small argument here or there, but getting along is literally a problem nonexistent."

"Huh. Yeah, it really is bullshit. Dang. People can be so pessimistic."

"Y-yeah."

"Well... on a different note, Magnus, Darling, how have you been? Hopefully the adoption center treated you well?" My mother asked me.

"I've been doing not-so-well. Found out I have like- a deficiency of literally everything, iron, vitamins, you name it, I'm super dehydrated, I've got like a million allergies that I didn't even know existed, the psychiatrist tells me I have a disorder having to do with my emotions, I have a nightmare disorder, I have insomnia, all because I couldn't take care of myself out on the streets. It sucks. Not to mention the adoption center snatched me like I was a rabid animal. They even sedated me."

"What..?"

"I'm serious."

"Goodness gracious, are they even allowed to do that?"

"No idea."

"Wow. Do you take any medications?"

"Mhm. Lots."

"Oh, wow. For everything?"

"Yup. Iron supplements, vitamin supplements, fish oil, stuff like that. On top of it, I have to drink a whole lot of water."

"Oh, that must be annoying," Aaron said.

"It is, but it's either that or I die. So... there's that. Plus, I'm good at swallowing multiple pills at once, so there's something, I guess."

"Well. That's a skill I don't have."

I nodded.

The rest of the day was awkward conversation with Aaron and my mother, and...

Personally, I don't really like Aaron. He gives me a bad gut feeling. It's probably not his fault, but... I just don't feel comfortable with him.

"So, Magnus? How do you feel?"

"A little unsettled, but... I'll be fine..."

"Hm. Maybe we should refrain from sending you over there, then."

"Okay."

I know my Dad is trying to protect me, but I really don't feel like it's enough. I feel like something's going to happen.

"You'll be starting school soon. It's been a while since you've been in the school system, so tomorrow I'll have to bring you to the school to take an exam to determine your grade level. Good with you?"

"Umm... yeah."

School? And so early? And... I'm barely even used to having a parent again. How am I supposed to adjust to going to school—not to mention new people?

I'm really not good at noticing when I speak aloud.

"It's going to be okay, Magnus. I promise. And if anything goes wrong, like if some kids start to bully you, or annoy you, you'd better believe that your principal will be recieving a call from me. All you have to do is tell me."

"Oh..."

"That's why you'll be taking the test tomorrow, but I'm waiting until next year to have you enrolled because I want to develop a bond with you, where you can trust me enough to tell me this stuff. Okay?"

"A-alright..."

"Alright. Come on, let's go to bed. Okay?"

"Okay."

He laid beside me, and hummed a lullaby.

It felt childish, but also comforting and safe. I missed having someone beside me to take care of me, and I didn't realize how much. I snuggled close to my father, and closed my eyes and drifted off.